UAlbany president George M. Philip welcomes a homecoming crowd to Saturday's game at SEFCU Arena in Albany Feb. 4, 2012. (John Carl D'Annibale / Times Union)

UAlbany president George M. Philip welcomes a homecoming crowd to Saturday's game at SEFCU Arena in Albany Feb. 4, 2012. (John Carl D'Annibale / Times Union)

Photo: John Carl D'Annibale

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Danes' streak over

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ALBANY -— UAlbany can call itself an improved team, a good team by America East standards. But it can't call itself a top contender, at least not until it beats one of the upper-echelon conference foes.

"We have to beat one of the top three and we will," coach Will Brown said. "We will."

But UAlbany is 0-4 now against the top of America East, after first-place Stony Brook came to a sold-out SEFCU Arena and defeated the third-place Great Danes 76-69 Saturday night in front of 4,538 in the annual Big Purple Growl game.

The Danes only have two more shots against the league's best, at least in the regular season. But Brown insists a signature win will come. Even if Brown concedes the obvious: The regular-season title is now out of reach. But he still believes his Great Danes will be a force in the first week in March in Hartford, Conn. — and will get that win.

"I'm telling you we will," Brown said. "I'll tell you what: I don't think anybody is going to want to play us in the conference tournament."

Stony Brook (15-7, 10-1) shot 59.1 from the field in the second half to erase a 33-30 halftime deficit. Dave Coley led the way with 17 points despite playing only 20 minutes because of foul trouble.

The game was a typically physical Stony Brook-UAlbany game marked by 38 fouls — but a lot more could have been called. That favored the Seawolves.

"It's always a war when we play them and tonight was not different," Stony Brook coach Steve Pikiell said.

"They are going to win most street fights in this league," Brown said. "They imposed their will on us."

The Great Danes (15-10, 7-4) were previously 9-0 this season at home, but the conference wins came against the lower rungs of America East. UAlbany's three previous conference losses came on the road again the other top teams in the conference: Stony Brook, Vermont and Boston University, which comes to SEFCU Arena on Monday.

Gerardo Suero scored a quiet 21 points. On defense he was personally responsible for surrendering seven of Stony Brook's first nine points, and did not score the first 8:49 of the game. He still finished the first half with 11 points.

But points were hard to come by all night, with UAlbany getting banged around on every drive in the lane, often without the benefit of a call.

"We definitely had chances to win, opportunities to win," Logan Aronhalt said. "It was the most physical game we played all year."